problem with spa

[davidms12]

The connectors all appear to be 2”.

 

[mknauss]

So that should mean you have 2" lines. Then you would use the 2"-2 1/2" repair kit.

 

[davidms12]

Thank you Marty you’ve been a great help! I’ve ordered the repair kit and will report back my results. I’ve read a how to and it looks very straightforward.

Your help is very much appreciated!

David

 

[davidms12]

Hi Marty. Reporting back that I put a rebuild kit in the return valve and unfortunately that hasn’t fixed the spa issue. When turned on the spa jets are very very weak and produce no bubbling (I assume due to lack of flow). What to look at next?

 

[mknauss]

Well that is disappointing.

You manually set the valve to divert all the water to the spa?

 

[davidms12]

I did. Just doesn’t make sense why the jets are so weak.

 

[davidms12]

The pump is running at 3450rpm which should be plenty strong enough to pump lots of water through the jets. What’s even more confusing is that it works sometimes.

 

[mknauss]

So when the pump is at full speed, the water has to be going somewhere.

When the flow to the jets are weak, what is the filter pressure? Is there water coming out the pool returns?

 

[davidms12]

Great questions! So I cleaned all my filters this morning before the rebuild kit arrived. Pressure had dropped to 8. Now running the spa it has pushed the pressure reading up to 26 and it doesn’t drop when I shut the system off. There is nothing coming out of the pool returns.

 

[mknauss]

There is a restriction somewhere in your system. After the filter. Be sure the spa return valve is being set the correct direction. With the pump on, turn it and see if you get better flow.

 

[davidms12]

So I’ve been troubleshooting all morning. Of course, the first time I tried it this morning it worked fine. Pressure reading is 15. So I’m thinking what if the jets that feel weak to me is actually the normal strength and the difference is sometimes air is mixed with the water and that makes them feel more powerful. Is that possible? I located the air inlet pipe this morning and looking down it I can see water in the bottom and it makes a gurgling sound when the spa is on. Does that seem ok? Finally, what would make the system mix air sometimes but not all the time?

I have manually operated the spa return valve and I am positive it is diverting correctly.

Thx

 

[mknauss]

The air inlet line should clear of water. With sufficient flow you should be pulling air.

Remind me, you have pulled the jets and they are properly installed and the orings are intact, correct?

 

[davidms12]

So there is some water in the air inlet I can see it and hear it gurgling. How does the air inlet mix air with water? Does it connect to the water line somehow and add air via a Venturi effect? I had pulled all the jets and they all looked clear. However, I don’t recall seeing any O-rings. I’m going to go back and pull them again and inspect for O-rings.

 

[mknauss]

So a spa should have a Hartford Loop. The air side of that loop goes to your air inlet. The jet bodies should have the loop plumbed into them along with the water line from the pump pad. When you run water through the jet nozzles, they are designed to pull air in via a venturi effect. The air inlet you will hear a 'glug glug' sound sort of when working. If you put your hand over the air inlet, there should be a suction.

The nozzles should have a sealing surface so the air is pulled in without interference from the water.

When you take one of the nozzles out, take a picture of it and post it.

 

[davidms12]

Good morning. So it’s not working this morning. I pulled all the jets and I don’t see any O-rings, but I also don’t see any place where an oring would seat. One jet is different than the rest in that it has a shoulder (pictured) but maybe that’s nothing. When the jets are working I can hear the gurgling from the air inlet pipe, which seems to have some standing water in it. When the jets don’t bubble of course there is no suction from the air inlet pipe (no vacuum when I place my hand over the pipe).

 

[mknauss]

Those are not spa jet nozzles. They are plain returns. You will not get air mixed in with the jets like it should with those.

 

[mknauss]

There are multitudes of styles of jet nozzles. Without knowing the manufacturer of the jet body installed in the spa, you are shooting in the dark on what nozzle to get.

Are there any identifying numbers, wording, etc on the jet body in the spa?

 

[davidms12]

Unfortunately there are no visible markings. I will reach out to the company who installed the pool and see if they can tell me anything about the jet body. Does this mean they with the plain returns my spa is pulling air in a different way than a spa with proper nozzles?

 

[davidms12]

they said the jet body is either from PEP or superior pool products.

 

[davidms12]

They think they used a waterway plastic 400-9197 or a 400-1427d